As it is now officially winter and the driving conditions are not as great as we would like them to be we have decided to share this article as a reminder to us all to be extra careful on the roads over the next few months. Alot of it is common sense stuff but very important to keep in mind all the same especially giving the weather that we are experiencing at the moment.

Met Éireann has issued a Status Orange fog warning valid until midday today and as a result our Roadwatch team have had a busy morning responding to the event. You can view their latest traffic updates on their website here or follow them on Twitter @aaroadwatch.

Everytime there is a fog event our publicaffairs inbox soon become clogged with emails of complaint about the complete lack or incorrect usage of fog lights. The fact remains that many drivers in this country don’t event know how to turn theirs on. Out they come to their car on mornings like this in a rush to get to work or their kids to school and take off not knowing if they’ve got the correct light setting. It will literally only take you a minute to look up your owner’s manual and figure out the correct setting so there really is no excuse. Driving in fog is challenging and its important to respect your fellow road users.

Below we offer some basic advice on driving in fog:

AA Advice on driving in fog:

Use your dipped headlights at all times plus your windscreen wipers and demisters.

Familiarize yourself with your front and rear fog lights. Know how to switch them on and off and use them only when appropriate.

Beware of other drivers not using headlights.

Only drive as fast as conditions allow and maintain a greater distance between you and the car in front. Tailing someone’s rear lights can give a false sense of security and is dangerous.

If the road has street lights on you probably don’t need to use your fog lights.

Be able to stop within your range of visibility. This is particularly important on motorways and dual carriageways where you’ll be travelling at speed.

Don’t accelerate to get away from a vehicle that is too close behind you.

Check your mirrors before you slow down.

At a junction with limited visibility, stop, wind down the window, and listen for traffic. When you are sure it is safe to emerge, do so without hesitation. Pausing too long puts you in the path of oncoming traffic.

I hope you found this article useful and just a quick reminder from ourselves that we do buy commercial vehicles as well as passenger cars for cash so please feel free to contact us for a chat and we’ll do our best to make a deal that is a win win for everybody.